Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Cai Qi, the first secretary of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, on Monday during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, underscoring Ankara’s push to deepen relations with Beijing.
The working lunch at the Tianjin Guesthouse followed Erdogan’s bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping a day earlier.
“During yesterday’s meeting, we emphasised to President Xi our determination to enhance cooperation with China across all fields,” Erdogan said.
He added that Türkiye also seeks to strengthen ties with China in multilateral platforms.
“We also wish to further strengthen this cooperation in platforms such as the UN, the G20, and BRICS. We expect your continued support for advancing our relations with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” he told Cai.
On economic ties, Erdogan said Ankara aims to boost its nearly $50 billion trade volume with China in a “balanced and sustainable manner,” signalling interest in narrowing the trade deficit.
Erdogan was joined at the meeting by senior cabinet members, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, National Defence Minister Yasar Guler, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir, Trade Minister Omer Bolat, and National Intelligence Organization chief Ibrahim Kalin.
Meeting with Xi
During a bilateral meeting in Tianjin on Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping praised Türkiye’s “spirit of self-reliance,” highlighting the country’s growing role as an emerging power.
Xi emphasised that both China and Türkiye, as important members of the Global South, share a commitment to independence and self-reliance.
Xi called for closer alignment between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Türkiye’s Middle Corridor Initiative, saying that coordinated development would strengthen bilateral ties and serve the fundamental interests of both nations. He stressed that such cooperation could also advance the broader goals of the Global South.
The Chinese leader further urged both countries to seize the era of peace, development, and cooperation, elevate the China-Türkiye strategic partnership, and jointly contribute to building a more just and equitable global governance system.
